A self-taught artist from Southern California, Melanie Maz unoffically began her art career in the spring of 1996. While home from college, she painted a violin with flowers all around it on a piece of packaging paper. The painting was an early version of Triumph and signified Melanie's decision to do a double major in Music and Communications. Like several other paintings she later did, it was taped up onto her door room wall, unaware of any future significance.

Melanie painted in her youth but aspired to be a musician. She began studying violin and piano at an early age and received a BA with Distinction and Honors from Goucher College in 1998. In 2000, Melanie moved to Boston, where she began painting again, decorating her apartment walls with artwork. Friends suggested she exhibit her artwork in public, but it wasn't until the spring of 2002 that Melanie began building a portfolio and researching shows. She invested the money she had originally intended to use for furthering her musical studies into frames for her paintings and decided to make an attempt at being an artist for one month. Before the month was over, Melanie had sold her first painting and had several shows lined up. Her second show, at Woody's Grill and Tap, ended in the sale of four paintings, purchased by the restaurant's owner.

Since June 2002, Melanie has sold 50 paintings and has had exhibits at Starbucks, HC Studio, The Brookline Town Hall, and The Brookline Arts Center in Brookline; Paolo's Trattoria in Charlestown; Christopher's, Borders Books and Music, The Phoenix Landing, and The New School of Music in Cambridge; Pazzo Books in Roslindale; the Bella Luna, Java Jo's, and James's Gate in Jamaica Plain; Powers Music School in Belmont; Cafe Ziba in Acton; Tonic in Brighton; and Woody's Grill and Tap, Sleeper Street Cafe, Starbucks and INQ Bistro in Boston. Melanie has also participated in Somerville Open Studios and ArtsUnion Studio Tours in Somerville, and has donated paintings to the Art Connection, a nonprofit organization that expands public access to visual art.

Melanie's musically themed paintings are inspired by her life as a musician. Every painting tells a story--whether about an emotion, memory, relationship, accomplishment, or moment--perhaps the most significant being Serendipity (left), which illustrates how, in the pursuit of becoming a musician, she found art. Her paintings are characterized by simple designs, bright, bold colors, and black outlines. Melanie uses acrylic paint on paper and canvas. Her artistic influences include Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Vincent van Gogh.

In addition to being a visual artist, Melanie is also a musician and violin and piano teacher. She teaches at her home studio, and at the Haggerty Community School, the Fletcher Maynard Academy, Campridgeport Community School, and the New School of Music in Cambridge. She is violinist in the Newton Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director and violinist for the Serenata Chamber Musicians, a group she founded in 2006.